Life went terribly wrong for Addie Bates in San Diego, and she's been running from dark memories ever since. For fifteen years, the Sleepy Valley Nudist Colony has provided a safe haven for Addie to hide from the crime she committed. But when the residents pack up to go on exhibit at the 1935 world's fair in San Diego, Addie returns and must face the thrilling yet terrifying prospect of reuniting with her estranged sister, Wavey. Addie isn't the only one interested in a reunion. When her niece, Rumor, discovers she has an aunt, Rumor is determined to bring her family together. But it's not so easy when the women are forced to confront family secrets, past and present. Set against the backdrop of the 1935 world's fair, Whistling Women explores the complex relationships between sisters, the sacrifices required to protect family, and the devastating consequences of a single impulsive act.

Gain first-hand knowledge of how today's lesbians aged 60 and over survived the 20th century! “I didn’t know we were lesbians. We lived together 13 years!” Whistling Women is a unique, candid collection of the life experiences of 44 lesbians between 62 and 82 years of age. This book explores new ground with interviews about their memories, feelings, and thoughts on a diversity of perspectives—from growing up during the Depression and World War II, to retirement and old age at the height of the gay liberation movement. This unprecedented resource captures a first-person view of lesbian history and documents the struggles and achievements of the women who lived it. “All my schooling was women-oriented…so I was able to see what women and girls could give to each other.” In Whistling Women, these older women share their views on: childhood and young adulthood—family, social factors, religion, schooling marriage—husbands, children, divorce lesbian relationships—coming out/closet relationships, role playing, butch and fem practices conventional politics—party affiliation, activities, concerns, degree of feminism work and money—financial arrangements, home ownership, investment properties life after 60—retirement, health, activities, communities and much more! “I dated. I went along. I did it because basically it was the thing to do. But I had crushes on girls.” Whistling Women offers you unprecedented statistics on these women and comparisons with statistics gathered in other analyses on lesbian and heterosexual women. This research includes studies of: socioeconomic class in childhood, mid-life, and at retirement level of education of participants number and duration of long-term relationships—both heterosexual marriages and lesbian lover relationships age of first lesbian relationship retirement statistics—year retired, age at retirement economic resources after retirement (compared to general US population) “If we had these things in the 1950s [gay bookstores and publications], how different life would be for a lot of people. But we had to pave the way.” This book is significant for sociologists, gay and lesbian researchers, and gerontologists, as well as anyone interested in women’s history. It also presents recollections of lesbian/mixed bars—some famous—starting in the 1930s, memories of the notorious Greenwich Village, the early development of lesbian social groups, and lesbian friendships with gay men. Whistling Girls identifies many of the organizations that cater specifically to older lesbians, such as OLOC (Old Lesbians Organizing for Change) and SOL (Slightly Older Lesbians).

Throughout history there have been women, endowed with curiosity and abundant spirit, who stepped out of the cave, cast off the shackles of expectation, and struck out for new territory. In this ode to bold, brash, and sometimes just plain dangerous women, Barbara Holland reanimates those rebels who defied convention and challenged authority on a truly grand scale: they traveled the world, commanded pirate ships, spied on the enemy, established foreign countries, scaled 19,000-foot passes, and lobbied to change the Constitution. Some were merry and flamboyant; others depressive and solitary. Some dressed up as men; others cherished their Victorian gowns. Many were ambivalent or absentminded mothers. But every one of them was fearless, eccentric, and fiercely independent. Barbara Holland evokes their energy in this unconventional book that will acquaint you with the likes of Grace O’Malley, a blazing terror of the Irish seas in the 1500s, and surprise you with a fresh perspective on legends like Bonnie Parker of “Bonnie and Clyde” fame. With wit, wisdom, and irreverent flair, They Went Whistling makes a compelling case for the virtue of getting into trouble. From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Virgin in the Garden . . . Still Life . . . Babel Tower . . . and now, A Whistling Woman, the triumphant conclusion to A. S. Byatt's dazzling and critically acclaimed quartet of novels about English life. It is the late 1960s, and the world begins to split. While Frederica -- the spirited heroine of the novels -- falls into a career in television in London, tumultuous events in her home county of Yorkshire threaten to change her life and those of the people she loves. Near the university, where the scientists Luk and Jacqueline are studying snails and neurones and the working of the brain, an "anti-university" springs up. On the high moors nearby a gentle therapeutic community is taken over by a turbulent, charismatic leader. Meanwhile, visions of blood and flames, of mirrors and doubles, share the refracting energy of Frederica's mosaic-like television shows. Through her lovingly drawn characters and breathtaking twists of plot, A. S. Byatt illuminates the effervescence of the 1960s -- both its excitement and its dangers -- as no one has done before. Magical, thought-provoking, and with spine-chilling moments, A Whistling Wom

A Whistling Woman portrays the antic, thrilling, and dangerous period of the late ‘60s as seen through the eyes of a woman whose life is forever changed by her times. Frederica Potter, a smart, spirited 33-year-old single mother, lucks into a job hosting a groundbreaking television talk show based in London. Meanwhile, in her native Yorkshire where her lover is involved in academic research, the university is planning a prestigious conference on body and mind, and a group of students and agitators is establishing an “anti-university.” And nearby a therapeutic community is beginning to take the shape of a religious cult under the influence of its charismatic religious leader. A Whistling Woman is a brilliant and thought-provoking meditation on psychology, science, religion, ethics, and radicalism, and their effects on ordinary lives. From the Trade Paperback edition.